PRLA Restaurant & Lodging Matters Winter 2021

26 • PENNSYLVANIA RESTAURANT & LODGING matters • Winter 2021 EDUCATION & TRAINING Bringing Awareness to Human Trafficking with Blue Campaign EVERY YEAR, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide—including right here in the United States (U.S.). It can happen in urban, suburban, and rural communities and victims can be any age, race, gender identity, sex, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, and socio- economic class. Throughout the month of January, Blue Campaign will join many organizations and members of the public in recognizing National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and National Human Trafficking Awareness Day—January 11. We invite you to start planning now on how you will raise awareness of human trafficking in January, and beyond. What is Human Trafficking? Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. Causing someone under the age of 18 to engage in a commercial sex act, regardless of using force, fraud, or coercion is human trafficking under U.S. law. Human traffickers use various forms of force, fraud, and coercion to control and exploit victims. These forms include imposing of debt, fraudulent employment opportunities, false promises of love or a better life, psychological coercion, and violence or threats of violence. The crime of human trafficking hinges on the exploitation of another person. People often falsely believe “human trafficking” implies victims must be moved from one place to another to qualify as a victim. Human trafficking does not require transportation to be considered a crime. It is a crime that can be committed against an individual who has never left their hometown. Recognizing key indicators of human trafficking is the first step in identifying victims and can help save a life. Every human trafficking situation is different but knowing how to spot it is important. What is Blue Campaign? Blue Campaign is a national public awareness campaign designed to educate the public, law enforcement, and other industry partners to recognize the indicators of human trafficking and how to appropriately respond to possible cases. Blue Campaign works closely with DHS Components to create general awareness training and materials to increase detection of human trafficking and to identify victims. In addition, Blue Campaign strives to protect fundamental rights to freedom and bring those who exploit human lives to justice. By The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Blue Campaign